Immigrants and Queers have been, are, and will always be here. There is no past nor future without us. We exist because people move by force, necessity, and (sometimes) choice, and sexuality / gender are complex (not binary), regardless of what dominant society legislates or social norms dictate. Our positionality to domination affirms our struggles are linked. We are comrades, and this is NOTHING NEW. 

Frequently, in times of political upheaval, art, stories, songs, dances, rituals, and traditions become targets of erasure. It is a form of censorial annihilation meant to ensure future generations know little to nothing about their forebears. For if even a breadcrumb were to remain, our descendants will have the tools to liberate their beings from domination. This, too, is NOTHING NEW.

Right here, right now we – Immigrant and / or Queer Artists – are under direct political attack. Co-creating tactics and ways to gather, preserve, and promulgate our art, stories, songs, dances, and rituals is a means of survival, organizing, and resistance. It is a tradition we have always done for gathering our people together around the fire to talk story is NOTHING NEW.

NOTHING NEW is an Installation & Art Catalog curated by Bushra Gill & Jason Wyman / Queerly Complex celebrating 66 Immigrant and / or Queer artists of diverse cultures, traditions, practices, disciplines, generations, and origins. 

Immgrant and / or Queer Artists of any discipline / practice / tradition from anywhere in the world were invited to submit NO NEW WORKS and NO NEW WORDS. Every artist submitted ONE 8.5” by 11” work, an 150 word bio, artwork context, and how to find them online, in print, or in the material world. There was no submission fee. 

Calls were put out on social media and through various networks. All who submitted and met the criteria were accepted into the show. 66 artists submitted work. All met the criteria, and all were accepted in the Installation and Art Catalog. 

The inaugural Installation was held at 465 Collective Space gallery (465 S. Van Ness, SF), located in the former Femina Potens art gallery and performance space, which was dedicated to showcasing work by women and trans artists and operated from 2002 to 2007. It also included a pop-up shop by SF Artists for Palestine with all proceeds going directly to Palestinians impacted by the genocide.

Physical and digital catalogs of the Installation will be archived in places like the Internet Archive, zine archives, and cultural, public, or educational institutions as a means of ensuring records of Immigrant and / or Queer Artists coming together in times of political attack survive for future generations to find. The Catalog and Installation, total and complete, includes a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Noderivatives 4.0 Deed, meaning others are free to print and install the digital prints as is within the catalog for non-commercial purposes with proper attribution, which is included in the catalog. Additionally, the digital catalogs are formatted in letter size to ensure easy printing and installation of the works in other localities.

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